The Small Town Feel of Orange

If you live in Orange County, then you definitely know about Old Towne Orange! If you’re from LA, there’s a strong possibility you have never even heard of it.

For my Angelinos, Old Towne Orange is a small historic district in the city of Orange. It’s quaint and cute, and while you’re there, you forget you’re in Southern California! It’s the textbook definition of Americana and it’s apparently the largest historic district in California.

I visited Old Towne this past weekend with my good friend Ash and had loads of fun! Unlike LA, Orange County is slower and more relaxed. The small town feel is different from any other city or place in LA.

In my opinion, Old Towne is highly underrated and you should definitely hop on the freeway to visit. Below, is a small guide to get you started if you do decide to go!

Food:

Old Towne Orange has several food options, these are just a few that are affordable and that I have personally tried.
Watson's Soda Fountain & Cafe: Before diners, soda fountains at pharmacies were a thing! Established in 1899, Watson’s sells American food and breakfast. It’s also pretty affordable and has retained its pharmacy feel to it (the walls are brick, and the lighting is a little dark).
Nonetheless, this is my number 1 recommendation for food. It’s old timey and classic, and yes, the food is good! The only other place like this in southern California that I can think of is Fair Oaks Pharmacy in Pasadena (another establishment that is over 100 years old). You can find Watson’s at 116 E Chapman Ave.
If that isn’t your vibe, there is also a Blaze Pizza ( anyone else love Blaze?) and and an Urth Caffe that is in a beautiful historic brick building that was recently restored.
Like I said, there are tons of food options and you can find them all here!

Shopping

If you love antiques like me, then you have to come to Old Towne. There are SEVERAL antique shops here and I couldn’t possibly talk about them all, so I will talk about my favorite: Orange Circle Antique Mall.
This is a large store and is two floors! They have literally anything from Disney memorabilia, records, and even soda bottles that have never been opened, (pictured below) that are decades old.
You can find Orange Circle Antique Mall at 118 S Glassell St. For a directory of every antique store in the area, click here .
Old Towne also has trendy clothing shops. Ash and I checked out Nectar Clothing . It’s cute and it’s affordable! You can find it at 115 N Glassell St.

Architecture

One of the things that stands out when you visit Old Towne are the historic homes and buildings (pictured below).
Ash and I took a short walk around the neighborhood before we left. We saw beautiful houses and a church we are pretty sure is cursed (it was over a 100 years old, a rarity in Southern California).
Take the time to walk around and to appreciate the beauty. People are friendly and will say “hi” to you from their porch-another rarity in Southern California.

Some Final Tips

Olde Town Orange is only one square mile, but there is a lot to see!
I did not touch on everything, but you can find a comprehensive directory here.
Parking is widely available in the neighborhood surrounding Olde Towne, just make sure to read the signs (some streets require a permit but most don’t).
If you find that you have to use the bathroom, go to the Starbucks at 44 Plaza Square!
There are plenty of great walls to take photos as you can tell from the photo below ;)
What are you waiting for? Go check out Old Towne Orange!!

Hi!

Nov 20 The Small Town Feel of Orange

If you live in Orange County, then you definitely know about Old Towne Orange! If you’re from LA, there’s a strong possibility you have never even heard of it.

For my Angelinos, Old Towne Orange is a small historic district in the city of Orange. It’s quaint and cute, and while you’re there, you forget you’re in Southern California! It’s the textbook definition of Americana and it’s apparently the largest historic district in California.

I visited Old Towne this past weekend with my good friend Ash and had loads of fun! Unlike LA, Orange County is slower and more relaxed. The small town feel is different from any other city or place in LA.

In my opinion, Old Towne is highly underrated and you should definitely hop on the freeway to visit. Below, is a small guide to get you started if you do decide to go!

Food:

Old Towne Orange has several food options, these are just a few that are affordable and that I have personally tried.

Watson's Soda Fountain & Cafe: Before diners, soda fountains at pharmacies were a thing! Established in 1899, Watson’s sells American food and breakfast. It’s also pretty affordable and has retained its pharmacy feel to it (the walls are brick, and the lighting is a little dark).

If that isn’t your vibe, there is also a Blaze Pizza ( anyone else love Blaze?) and and an Urth Caffe that is in a beautiful historic brick building that was recently restored.

Like I said, there are tons of food options and you can find them all here!

Shopping

If you love antiques like me, then you have to come to Old Towne. There are SEVERAL antique shops here and I couldn’t possibly talk about them all, so I will talk about my favorite: Orange Circle Antique Mall.

This is a large store and is two floors! They have literally anything from Disney memorabilia, records, and even soda bottles that have never been opened, (pictured below) that are decades old.

You can find Orange Circle Antique Mall at 118 S Glassell St. For a directory of every antique store in the area, click here .

Old Towne also has trendy clothing shops. Ash and I checked out Nectar Clothing . It’s cute and it’s affordable! You can find it at 115 N Glassell St.

Architecture

One of the things that stands out when you visit Old Towne are the historic homes and buildings (pictured below).

Ash and I took a short walk around the neighborhood before we left. We saw beautiful houses and a church we are pretty sure is cursed (it was over a 100 years old, a rarity in Southern California).

Take the time to walk around and to appreciate the beauty. People are friendly and will say “hi” to you from their porch-another rarity in Southern California.

Some Final Tips

Olde Town Orange is only one square mile, but there is a lot to see!

I did not touch on everything, but you can find a comprehensive directory here.

Parking is widely available in the neighborhood surrounding Olde Towne, just make sure to read the signs (some streets require a permit but most don’t).

If you find that you have to use the bathroom, go to the Starbucks at 44 Plaza Square!

There are plenty of great walls to take photos as you can tell from the photo below ;)

What are you waiting for? Go check out Old Towne Orange!!

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Hi!

Nov 20 The Small Town Feel of Orange

If you live in Orange County, then you definitely know about Old Towne Orange! If you’re from LA, there’s a strong possibility you have never even heard of it.

For my Angelinos, Old Towne Orange is a small historic district in the city of Orange. It’s quaint and cute, and while you’re there, you forget you’re in Southern California! It’s the textbook definition of Americana and it’s apparently the largest historic district in California.

I visited Old Towne this past weekend with my good friend Ash and had loads of fun! Unlike LA, Orange County is slower and more relaxed. The small town feel is different from any other city or place in LA.

In my opinion, Old Towne is highly underrated and you should definitely hop on the freeway to visit. Below, is a small guide to get you started if you do decide to go!

Food:

Old Towne Orange has several food options, these are just a few that are affordable and that I have personally tried.

Watson's Soda Fountain & Cafe: Before diners, soda fountains at pharmacies were a thing! Established in 1899, Watson’s sells American food and breakfast. It’s also pretty affordable and has retained its pharmacy feel to it (the walls are brick, and the lighting is a little dark).

If that isn’t your vibe, there is also a Blaze Pizza ( anyone else love Blaze?) and and an Urth Caffe that is in a beautiful historic brick building that was recently restored.

Like I said, there are tons of food options and you can find them all here!

Shopping

If you love antiques like me, then you have to come to Old Towne. There are SEVERAL antique shops here and I couldn’t possibly talk about them all, so I will talk about my favorite: Orange Circle Antique Mall.

This is a large store and is two floors! They have literally anything from Disney memorabilia, records, and even soda bottles that have never been opened, (pictured below) that are decades old.

You can find Orange Circle Antique Mall at 118 S Glassell St. For a directory of every antique store in the area, click here .

Old Towne also has trendy clothing shops. Ash and I checked out Nectar Clothing . It’s cute and it’s affordable! You can find it at 115 N Glassell St.

Architecture

One of the things that stands out when you visit Old Towne are the historic homes and buildings (pictured below).

Ash and I took a short walk around the neighborhood before we left. We saw beautiful houses and a church we are pretty sure is cursed (it was over a 100 years old, a rarity in Southern California).

Take the time to walk around and to appreciate the beauty. People are friendly and will say “hi” to you from their porch-another rarity in Southern California.

Some Final Tips

Olde Town Orange is only one square mile, but there is a lot to see!

I did not touch on everything, but you can find a comprehensive directory here.

Parking is widely available in the neighborhood surrounding Olde Towne, just make sure to read the signs (some streets require a permit but most don’t).

If you find that you have to use the bathroom, go to the Starbucks at 44 Plaza Square!

There are plenty of great walls to take photos as you can tell from the photo below ;)

What are you waiting for? Go check out Old Towne Orange!!

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